Michigan’s Snyder Less Popular After Right-to-Work Bill

Michigan State Police in riot gear push back protestors who are blocking a street during a rally at the state Capitol to protest a vote on Right-to-Work legislation on Dec. 11, 2012 in Lansing.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s popularity has taken a beating since he backed a right-to-work bill during the legislature’s recent lame duck session.

Republican Snyder’s approval rating dipped to 38 percent, with 56 percent of voters disapproving of his job performance, according to a poll by Public Policy Polling.

That’s down from 47 percent who viewed him favorably the week before the Nov. 6 election in a PPP survey. (President Barack Obama got a thumbs-up from 53 percent in the poll.)

“Just last month we were talking about how much Rick Snyder’s popularity had improved over the last year,” PPP President Dean Debnam said in a news release. “In the last week he’s thrown that all away and now ranks as one of the most unpopular governors in the country.”

Snyder, 54, was elected in 2010.

Michigan, a cradle of union strength, became the 24th state to prohibit payment of union dues as a condition of employment when Snyder signed legislation he had said was not on his agenda. The bill prompted a protest by some 11,000 union supporters at the Michigan Capitol in Lansing on Dec. 11, as the Republican-controlled legislature approved the measure.

A majority of Michigan voters oppose right-to-work laws, 51 percent to 41 percent, according to the poll.